.... T H E .... I

Alabama Fruit Growing and Winery Association,

• FRUITHURST, CLEBURNE COUNTY, ALABAMA .

An Organizatio n Incorpo­ra ted by the S tate of A la ba ma, Nov. 24th , 1894·

Fo r the P r omo tion o f Fruit Culture a nd Im­mig ration in Cleburne County, A la bama.

AL.\RD.!A-'' HERE \VE REST."

6apital StOGk, $300,000. fruit Lands, 20,000 I\Gr6s.

DIRECTORS. Hon. J. B. MERRILL, Fruithurst, Ala., Senior Member, firm of Merrill & Bridges,

Attorneys. R W. BECK, Fruithurst, Ala., Alabama Representative, Atlanta Loan and Investment

Co., Atlanta, Ga. D. J. Sl CLAIR, Fruithurst, Ala, Formerly Clerk Distnct Court, Duluth, Minn. H. D. WATSO , Fruithust, Ala., Owner Watson's Ranch, 6,000 Acres, on Union

Pacific R. R. ebraska. GEORGE L. TILTON, Chicago, Ill., Credit Department, Marshall Field & Co. FRANK R. TAYLOR, Sterling, Ill. , Wholesale Merchant and Jobber. MARTIN INGWERSEN, Clinton, Iowa, firm of Arlen & lnwergsen.

OFFICERS. J . B. MERRILL, President, M. INGWERSEN, Vice-President. D. J. SINCLAIR, Treasurer. R. W. BECK, Secretary.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. J. B. MERRILL. H. D. WATSON. D J. SINCLAIR.

GENERAL AGENTS. H. D. W ATSON, Manager of Agencies, Fruithurst, Ala,

~-- ~-· -?H~~~~6 , } Room 36, 90 La Salle St., Chicago, III. E. B. HAMMITT, Room 22, Fuller Block, Springfidd, Mass. J. M. SLEEPER, Monticello, Iowa. E. J. BOYNTON, Hotel Union, Toledo, Ohio.

'· No better cvidcnc" of the fruitfulness of inunil-("ration work can be fouud than in the Colouy planted at Fruithurst, in Cleburne County, whe re a large hody of land~ has multiplied more than six-fold in assessed ,·alues within about two years, and the influx of industrious citizens continues. "-l•'rom the M essave of Gov. J. 1<' •• Tvh,lston to the Geucral Assembly ot ALabamn. Novcm1Je1·, 1896.

Samford University Library

Q How much does the A88ociation pa y its bPipT A . The average wages at Jo' roitbutst ra nge from 80 cents per day for native labor, a nd Sl per day for common l•bor to tbnse wbo purchase vmeyards, to $2.50 for skiUod mechan~ca.

Q. What time of theyenrs bonld vines be planted? A. Vines can be planted in e i the r the fall o r s pring. bot our experience bas b<>on t ha t i t is be tter to pl..n t vines in t be wiotor and spring t han in the fall.

Q. How lon~r does i t take to get grapes to markBt? A. In car loAd lots it ta kes. to Now Yo rk and Chi­Mgo, 35 to 50 hours ; by ex press, 24 ho urs.

Q. What is tho na ture of the so il? A. Argilla­ceous soil of red and yello w cla y, with s ufficient 8a nd to render sub-soil dra inag e good. U s ua lly colored dark at the surface from d ecayed vegetation.

Q. What are t ho shipping facilities, freight charges. etc t A. Gnod ove r S outh em Railroad and oonncctin~~: line~. Freight chArges about the sa m e 116 in other sections, but are s lightly higher than in tbe North.

Q. What class of pooplo are purchas ing and occu­pying improved and unimproved lands? A. Exclu­s ively Northern people. No colored people allowed to own land.

Q. Are there good roads tn tho teo-a cre t racts? A. Each vineyard tract contains full te n acres. e x­clusive of the roads between trac ts . and good roads are g raded by tho compaoy, so that eve ry vineyard tract fronts a highway.

Q. What age of vines do you adv ise planting ? .4.. Tho .\ssociatio n a d vises pla nting t wn yPar-o ld vines, and probably on 9-10 o f tho acrea<re •I ready planted vines of this ago wore ueed. W Len desired, ~hre<-- yPar-nld vines can be fu rnished a t a s'i<:bt ad­""nce in price.

Q. D oes the cnmpan}' care for the vineyards and the crop' A. The .\Ja bama Fruit Growin<r and Winery A~soeiatioo bas a lar~~:o force o f men coot io­nally at work cultiva tioll: and car10g fnr vineyards of ooo-re~ideots. for whic h a reasona ble price is charged. and will h a rvest and market t be crop fo r non-res ident owners, remitting the m the p roceeds each season.

Q. In bnyiog a vioeva ro, is it oeco:-ssary to loca te in FrnitbnrstT A. The Associatio n d oe8 not ad­vise those buying vineyards to come to Fruithurst on til the second or tbird year, when the vineya rd will begin to produce an income, and duriog the time Tbo Ass'lCiatioo will caro for the vineyard at a reasonable price. Probably two-thirds the vineyards a lready sold ha vo boon purchased by people who b11ve tho company oaro for thorn until they shall de­c ide to locate here.

Q. What is tho cost of living (approximatin~r yearly cost. including all ordinary necessities) fo r a small family o f three pnrsons. A. Somewhat cheap· er tbao in tho North. A family of throe native farm­ers would live on $100 a your. A Northern person would require more but can rai~e garden vogetabl ('S eight monU1s in the )•ear. Meats are from 5 to 12 oeo h per peund.

Q. What are the facilities for obtaining fuel and ita relative cost T A. Wood delivered at the door ean bo bad in abundance at $1 25 to $1 .50 per co rd. Coal, $2.50 to $8. 25 per ton.

Q . What is the cost of buildinll' f>, 6 and 0 -room bouse, coiled or plastered? A. C'ost wo uld vary from $250 to $800, accordioi: to work and finish. Lumber cheaper than in tho North, but some thin~ higher. Probably build somowhst lower than in the North, 11bout two-thirds.

Q. How muc h is a ton-aero vineyard worth? .\. A ton-aero vineyard tract plant(ld to two-year-old vines i• worth from $750 t o $l,OOO, according tn lo­oatioo~ with two acros planted it i6 wo rtb from $-l::iO to $SOu, o n terms with 15 per oont discount for cash .

Q. At what ago a fte r p lantilllt do the vines b<•arT A. Tue vines be•r a lit tle f ruit in two )'081"11, and what migbt be called a fa ir c rop in three years from planting.

Q. H ow man y gallon~ o f wino did t ho ('ompRny make las t ) earl A. Tbo Company mad~> 25,000 ~!'allons o f w ine, including clarets. Tnkal, Saut.ernil, R hine wines. por t, sherry. Pte . in 1897 over 70,000 gallons we re made in Fru ithurst and vicinity.

Q. H ow long befo re t ho wine is ready to ship• A . The wino is ready fo r market in eix months

Q H ow early is the grape crop rpady fo r market ' .-\. T be E a rly Obio grapes a re ready from the 25th o f J nne to the l Oth of July, an<t the ot~M>r varieties follo w on throug h tho mootb o f July, and some of the late r va rieties to the last of .\ngu~t.

Q. H ow long does the grape season last7 A . About two mootbs.

Q. What is the average yield o f the vines? A. The a ve rage y ield o f tho vines should be 15 pounds to the vine, b u t at 10 pounns to the vine (an oxco•d­iogly conservative estimato)ha vmcyard would yield 6 .000 to 7 ,000 pounds to t o acre. One vineyard now in i ts third ycH, yielded this e~asoo 8,000 pou nds o f g rapes to the aero.

Q . H ow many vines to the acre? A. 61'10 vin~' tH the a c re.

Q . H ow many grapes does it take to make a gal­lon of wine? .\. Between 12 nod 13 pounds of Ala­bama grapes Rgaiost something over 20 pounds of California grapes.

Q. H ow much per aero <toes it eiHt to cnltinte and t ake care n f a vinE<,ardf \ T ho enst of culti­va tinn fn r th~ first }Cnr is $7.50 per acrP: EP<Onnd YPAr$ t 0.50. and t he third and each •uece~~<lm~t >Cars. $12.50 per aero.

Q. Ho"' mueh i~ a bearin2 v10evard worth per a e ro? .\ . According to tho l:nit<>d Stat('' l'en,us R Pport for 1890, tbe avcrn~:c value of b<>~rin~t ,-ine­yards t hroughout the L'ntted :5tntes """"' $->013 per a c re, and the averacre value of vint')·ard< m lx>arincr and not in bearing, $387 per ttcro

Q. H ow are the soil and climate of Fruithur.t adapted to ~':A rden t ruek nod V<'i:Nable8T .\. Th .. soil a nd c limate a re perfectly adapted tn the rai-im: o f garden truck and V<'l:otables. a' well ns small fntits, but aru p re-eminently adapted to "'rape cui· ture, nn accoun t o f t be largo percPntag~ of •balc in the soil.

Q. What are tho best fru i ts to p lant7 .\. \\"biiP most o f tho ac rcago nlroady plnutl'd i~ in ~rrap~ vines, a s it bas been thoroughly domon~trntl'd that tbev a re e xt remely p rofituble to tho growe r. pt'aches. aoPles . German prunro~. cherril'S, plum~. qutnce~. all va rie ties of nuts and small fruit~. enn be ra tsl'<t witb profit. and the la rge e x perimental <:ardens of the co mpany, planted in 1805, havo alrendy demon­Stra ted t ha t nearly a ll variet ie' of fnttt ean oo growu he re with profit .

Q. H ave you domonst ratod by aetual 'hopmeut> that Fruitbur,: t l'tr& J"H'S can be markNl'<l nt a <:ooU profit? .~. Du r io<: t ho oeason o f 1807. upwan), of t en ~arloads o f gral""s wNe shiJ'I>NI in refru:crator ears from this vidmty. which nl'tted the growt'r to ~ortbern marke ts from 2'-. to 5 e('ut.; per t><•uml. and u l?wards of 50.000 ~tnl.lons of w ino wa' maolo nt the wtneries. aud l to 1"• cont~ per f)(\UUd wn~ paul Cor tho gra pes. When all the l!el"('alto now planted is . in bea rio<r, we ca n s hip from 5 to 10 can. tu '~""''!'! train nt much lower rates. a nd p laee tbo F:<nP"S 111 No rthern markets in 30 ho u rs, when t ho pwti t will be much great('r.

Q . How near tbt> railro11<1 is Fruith urst? \. T he Southern Railroad pal'Ses tbrou~h t h(\ J)rOPNlf a t FTuitburst, the vine) ards b~io~: locatNI ou both •td"" of the railroad track.

Samford University Library

Q How much does the A88ociation pay its h Pipt A. The average wages at Jo'roitbuut range from 80 cents per day fo r native labor, and S1 per day for common l•bor to thnse wbo purchase Vlneyards, to $2.50 for skiUod mechamcs.

Q. What time of theyenrsbould vines be planted? A. Vines can be plnntod in either the fall or s pring. bot our experience bas bl>en that it is better to pl .. ot rines in tho win tor and spring than in the fall.

Q. H ow lon~rdoes it take to ge t grapes to market? A. In car loAd lotg it takes. to New York and Chi­eego, 35 to 50 hours; by express, 24 hou rs.

Q. What is tho nature of the soil? A. Argilla­ceous soil of red and yellow clay, with s nfficient 8and to render sub-soil drainage good. Usually colored dark at the su rface from decayed vegetation.

Q. What a re tho shipping facilities, freight charges. etc t A. Gnod over Sou thoro Railroad and oonncctin~~: line~. Freight charges about the same 116 in other sections, but are slightly higher tban in tbe North.

Q. What c lass of pooplo arc purchas ing aod occu­pying improved and unimproved lands? A. E xclu­sively Northern people. No colo red people allowed to owo land.

Q. Arc there good roads tn tho ten-acre t racts? A. Each vineya rd tract contains full te n acres . ex­clusive of tbo roads between tracts . and good roads are graded by tho company, so tbat every vineyard tract fronts a bigbway.

Q. W hat ago of vines do you advise p lantiogT .<\ . Tho .\ssociation advises planting twn yPar-old Tines, and probably on 9 -10 of tho acrea<re •I ready planted vines of this a~ro were used. W Len des ired, ~hre<'-yPar-old vines can be furnished at a s'i<:ht a d­""nce in price.

Q. D oes the cnmpao}' caro for the vineyards and the cropt A. The Alabama Fruit Growin~r and Winery A~sociation bas a lar~~:o force of men c ontin­ually at work cultivat ing and car10g fnr vineyards of non-re~idents. for which a reasonable price is charged. and will harvest nod market 1 he cro p fo r non-resident owners, remitting them the proceeds each season.

Q. In boy in~~: a vinevaro, is it necessary to locate in FrnitburstT A. Tho Association d oe$ not ad­rise those buying vineyards to come to Fruithurst on til the second or third year, when the vineyard will begin to produce no income, and d u ring the time Tbo Ass'lCiation will care fo r the vineyard at a reasonable price. Probably two-thirds the vineyards already sold ha vo boon purchased by people who bsvo tho company care fo r thorn until they shall de­cide to locate hero.

Q. What is tho cost, of living (approximatin<r yearly cost. including all ordinary necessiti~sJ fo r a small family of three pnrsons. A. Somewhat cheap­er than in tho North. A family o f throe native fa rm­ers would live on $100 a year. A Northern person would require more but can rai~e garden vogetablrs eight mooU1s in the )•ear. Meats are from 5 to 12 oenh per pOund.

Q. What arc the facilities for obtain in!'( fu('\ and ita relative cost T A. Wood doliver<'d at the door ean bo bad in abundance at $1 . 25 to $1-50 per cord. Coal, $2.50 to $8. 25 per ton.

Q. What is the cost o f builtlinfl 5. 6 and 0 -room hou•e, ceiled or plastered? A. C'ost would vary from $250 t.> $800, accordini: to work and finish. Lumbor cheaper than in tho North, but some thin~ higher. Probably bnikl somowhst lowor than in the North, 11l>oot two-thirds.

Q. How much is a ton-al'ro vineyard worth? .\ . A ten-acre vineyard !Tact planted to two-year-old vioea il' worth from $750 to $ t ,OOO, according tn lo­oatioo~ with two acros plantod it i6 wortb from $-l:>O to $SOu, on terms with 15 per cout discount for ca s h .

Q. At what ago afte r plan til>~( do the vines bl•arf A. Tbe vines oo•r a l it tle fruit in t wo )'Cal'd, and what migbt be called a fair crop in t h ree yean! from planting.

Q. How many gaJion~ o f wino did t ho ('ompany make la s t ) ear1 A. T bo Com pany mad!> 25,000 flalluns o f wine, includ ing c larets. T nk&l, Saut.ernd, Rhine wines. port, sherry. Pte. io 1897 over 70,000 gallons were made in Fru it h u rst and vicinity.

Q. H ow long befo re t ho wine is ready to s h ip" A . The wino is ready fo r marke t in eix months

Q How early is t he fll'apo c rop rpady fo r market! .-\ . Tbe E a rly Obio grapes a re ready from the 25th of Jnne to the 10 t b o f July, an<t the ottx>r varieties follow o n throug h the mon tb o f July, and 'orne o f the late r .-a rieties to the las t o f .\ugu~t.

Q. H ow ion~: does the grape season last? A . About two montbs.

Q. Wha t is t he average y ield o f the v ines? A. The average yield o f t ho vines ahould bo 15 pounds to the vine, but at 10 pou nns to t he vine (an oxco•d­ingly co nservative estimato)ha vmcyard would yield 6.000 to 7 ,0 0 0 pounds to 1 o acre. One vineyard now in its t h ird ye•r, yielded this 8~ason 8.000 pound s of grapes to t he aero.

Q . H ow many vines to the acre? A. 6~0 vine• tH the acre.

Q . H ow man y !'rapes docs it take to make a gal­lon o f wine? .\. Between 12 nod t3 pounds of Ala­bama g rapes against something over 20 pounds of Califo rnia grapes.

Q. H o w much per aero does it l'o•t to coltinte and take care n f a vine,ardf \ Tho cnst of culti­varinn fn r th~ first ~e"r is $7.50 per ill'rP: EPCOod YP"r $1 0.50. a nd t he t hird and each •ucce~ltug )Cars. $12.50 per aero.

Q. How mueh i~ a bear in11 v10evard worth per al'reT .\ . According to tho Gnit<'d St:ttl'' Ceo,us RPport for 1890, the a.-~mce .-aloe or hi'~ ring \'iDe­yards throughout the Uotted :5tates "'"" $;ou per acre, and tho a .-era <r(' value of vint•yard" m tx>ario" and not in bearing , $387 per hCro

Q. H ow a re t he soil and climate or Fruithur,t ada p ted to ga rd~n truc k nod Vl'cetable8T .\. Tlw so il and c limate a ro perft>ctly ndaptPd tn tbe rai,ioa: of gnrden truck a nd V<'!lotabl<'~. a; well ns small fntits, but a ru pre-emin~otly ndupted to ~:rape cul­ture , nn acco unt o f the la rfi'O perc~otag~ of •b11le on the soil.

Q. What are tho bes t frnits to plnot : .\ . \\'bilP most of tho acr<'ago a lready plnott'd i' in ~rrapll vines, as it bas beoo tho ro ughly deonon8t rntt><l that tbe.- are extre mely p rofitable to the 11rower. peaehes. aoPles . Gennan prun,.~. c herriC"s, plum~. qutuce~. all varie ties of ours nnd small fru i t~. I'Rn be ra tsl.'<l with profit, and the large e xperimental "ardon• of the co mpany, planted in 1805, have already demoo­srrat«XX tha t nearly all variotie• of fnu t can oo growu he re with profi t.

Q. l:lave you demo os tra too by aetual shopmeol> tbnt Fruitbu,.,t l'trOfii'S c a n be mnrkNl•d uta "00<.1 profit? .~. During tbe •enson o f 1807. upwanl- of ten ~arloads o f grapes were s hippNI in re fru:erator ears from this viduity . which notted t he grower 10 ~ortbero markots from 2'; to 5 l'('o ts per l"'und. and DJ?Wards of 50 .000 !'(allons o f wino was mao IE.' at the wmeries. aud 1 to 1 ' • eent~ p('r t><>und wa~ pa td for tho !ll'apes. \\'h('O all tho IICI'('IIII:fl DOW p lanted is . in beario<r, we can ship from 5 to 10 I'Rn< m 'f>PC' !'l train at much lower rates. a nd plal'e t be F:rRP"S 111 Northern markets in 30 ho u rs, wbe n tbl' pruti t will be much greater.

Q. How near tht> railrosd is Fru ithurst? \ . T he Southern Railroad pal'Sos tbrou~~:h tb(\ 1>ropertr a l Fruithurst, thevioe}ard~ b~io~:locatoo ou bot h ,,d.,. of the railroad track.

Samford University Library

Q. Do Oowers and gra:>scs grow woll lit Fruit­hurs t T A. ~·rom the standpoint of llowor culture, Frmthun;t io, indeed, a Parad1so for Indies. Roses bloom from early Spring until Into in tho FoiJ. aud ovor 200 varieties bave boon test ed iu tho oxperi­moutul ~eardcns of the company. \'iolrts\ pausi~s, otc .. bloom nut or doors all winter, auo ;.. tho springtime th(l woods and llolda aro beautifully be­docked wit lJ all vuriotics of wild flowers uud shrub· bcry. Lawns aro as easily had iu ~·ruithursL as iu tho Nortb, with proper care.

Q. Why do you receive higher prices for grapes rai,ed in Fruithurst than are rcctlived for those raibod iu the :-iMth? A. llecauso they are in th~ market in July and August, from one to two m<>nth> bcf<>ro N orthern 11rapeo are ripo. and have no corn­petition. con,equently bring tho ''or~ highest pricc•, more thau <louble tho prices rccPn·ed by the N<>rthcro 11rower; and they ~an be raised a t Jess ex­pense at Fruithurst tban in the :\orth.

Q. \\'hat is the cost o r a town lot, lJOx i SO fe«>t, in a desirable vortiou of tho town, and Cl\u 1wo or three Jot~ be \n1rchased together, and cun baid Jut or Jots be houl{ It ou instalhnents? A Price of lots varies from $50 to $l00, to thoso who will budd, and sev­eral lots can bo taken together if tho improvements plncod on th~m are suflicient. Tho~o desiring to llllJ)rovo their Jots will bo grantod torms of payment t<l 11Uit. Do not sell Jots on St>oculation.

Q. Is poultry raising profitable? .\. The ad­vantages o r tbis section for poultry raising are the lon~t ;;eason and green feed all the your round, and uniform production in both egl{s aud chickens. The rate by express for eg"'s to :\ew York City is now $2.50 per hundred pounds; fr<>ight rates are about $l.OO; rates for dres~ed fowl about the same.

Q. What would you suggest as a source or income for a business man? One who would not c•.re to take hold o r pick and shovel and yet wished to be romnnoratively employed until his vineyard b<'gan to pay. A. The hardest question of all to answer. Thoro nro a lways, io every now community, men who are qualified for ofTico work and business, and it iH extremely bard to rurnisb positions fur all. It is fully us hard to suggest an~ lino of occupation. in a buoiucss way, without knowing what speciui quali· ficatioos a person may have for a particular posi­tion. The Associ•tion docs all in its power to aid all residents iu securing satisfactor)• aud remuner­ative employment.

Q. What are your advantages (apart from the co-oporat1vo plan as dc~>eribed in your J>rosprctus) over Coliforn1a, for grapes oolyT A. Tho first and paramount advuotago of Fruithurst over California ( to Nurtb~rn people desiring to movo to a milder climate and rugagc in fruit growio,::) is ncarn(.'~S to mHrkot• nod neurue~s to friends. being only 24. hours from either New York or Chicago by rail , while Califomiu is u l• ·ng four day~' journey. aod al­most isolates ono from friends 1n tho East. Tho matter of froi~elot rat~s alone is u prOt(.'ctive tariff for sonthorn·ruisod fruits against those of C•lifor­nia. It takes ueurly twice as mauy pound~ of Cali fornin ,::ruprs to make a gallon of wine as of grape~ raisod in Alabama.

Q. What sections or the United Stall's compde with youro a~ tll tho time or getting graprs into the largor marht~? A No SPCtion or tho United ~tat(l!, compt•tcs with \\'estero Georgia anrl Eastern .\Ia­barna in gNting grapcs into the larger markets, w11h tho <•xroptiou nf Florida, wht>rc but few ~{rapes arc rai~ccl, and >Ome of the h•wland s<•ctions of thio state, but l{r8pr> rai•cd in tho low t'lovntions cannot be shipped long distances without sholliug.

Q. ln your advertisements yon state tlmt grupr~ raised in FI'Uitburst will bo ready f<'r markot .July 15th of each ycHr, and twn mon1los ahond of :-lortb­orn grapes. Ju tbo i~sue of tho Fruithurst Ror-orter of August 25th. 1R96, Mrs. Fronch·Sh~ldon say>. ualtnost. n month aiH ad." \Yhich is cc,rroct? A. Some of theearhe•t \'arietieswero ripo in l•'ruithnrst this ~cason tl 0 first or July. but the large,t portion of the crop, >HY Concords and i'<iagaras, is shipped to mark<'! from about July 15th to August 25th The seasons vary >omewhat, but the abo•o can be ro icd upon Ul) about correct. Mn;. Sh~hlon wa~ iu Arrnr iu u~in(C tho pbra~e Hahno· t a month." as Ke''" York grapes do not ordinarily get n>to market until the latter part of September.

Q. bit truo that the grape vine matures earlier in tho South than in tho North? .\. This is most emphaticully true. and the reason' for it arc that tho vi no hus a much longer soa~on <~f ~rowth to ma· turo tho wood during the three ycnrs boforo it comes iuto bearing. lt may be safely said thttt a ••ino will maturo nnd como into hearing horo ut lca~t a )'t.•aJ earlier tlrau in the North.

l "

1'11lt liXPF.RL\H:NT,\J. \'I:Sf\Y_\RDS, ORCHARDS A:SD GARDE:o;S, l'Rl'lTH URST, LOOKI:o((; :O.ORTH FROM SU)DIER BOt'Sl\ llll,t ..

Samford University Library